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Introduction : What Is Simulation Toolkit ?
AdventNet Simulation Tool comprises agent simulator and network simulator for testing, training, and demonstration of network management applications. The network simulator enables network simulation of SNMP (v1, v2c, v3), TL1, TFTP , FTP, Telnet and IOS devices, on a single PC. The IOS Simulator integrated with the Network Simulator, adds the capability to respond to Cisco IOS commands over Telnet.
Simulation Toolkit provides Network Recorder and Trap Recorder to record and replay real SNMP networks and traps, allows bulk addition of devices with unique IP address and port, enables run-time configuration of devices both on an individual and collective basis, allows advanced modeling of agent/network behavior and trap generation. The agent management through RMI provides solution for automated testing.
Ability to simulate 50000+ agents simultaneously for scalability testing, dynamic configuration of IP address, bulk modification of device values, utilities to control agents from command line, fault management testing using Trap Stormer and easy-to-use GUI enables full-fledged simulation of large networks.
Testing a network management application in realistic and peak-load environments with multi-vendor network devices is critical to its commercial success. Sales demos are essential to demonstrate the capabilities of the software in large, complex, network scenarios, or at customer premises. Users need to evaluate the tool exhaustively before buying. However, in real life, the testing, demonstration and evaluation of NMS applications involve the following hurdles.
Challenges in Building and Testing Management Applications
Procurement of complex multi-vendor network devices for testing is prohibitively expensive.
Complete and reliable testing is not possible due to the various types of agents in the devices and their different versions.
Critical test scenarios, such as device failures and agent crashes are difficult to reproduce with live devices.
Trained people with expertise on various devices and technologies are required to evaluate the network management tools.
Networks are complicated and extremely expensive, and most vendors cannot afford to set up a demo network in every sales office.
AdventNet Simulation Toolkit, a software suite which comprises SNMP and TL1 agent and network simulator tools is designed to overcome the above hurdles.
Adventnet Simulation Toolkit offers,
An integrated network design studio to create a virtual multi-vendor network environment with SNMP and TL1 devices, on a single PC.
Simulation of any type of device by adding vendor specific MIBs/TCS and simulating values for the same.
Creation of realistic and flexible networking scenarios for effective testing, training and evaluation.
A portable simulation environment, enabling easy demonstration of management applications.
Portable Product Demonstrations
Simulation Toolkit helps to create different network scenarios instantly. The network configurations are portable across all OS. This enables marketing and sales to set up powerful "live" demonstrations of their network management products at trade shows or at customer premises, easily and effectively. Reduced demo set up time and absence of bulky equipments results in reduced cost of sales.
Evaluation before Purchase
Users can easily yet exhaustively evaluate new management products prior to purchase and customize them after purchase. The Jython script APIs bundled with the product can be used to evaluate the capability of the management products.
Quick and Efficient Support
With Simulation Toolkit, the support staff do not have to visit the customer premises for problem reproduction. Its recording tool can record the customer's network environment and reproduce the problem quickly to provide fast and efficient support.
Virtual Multi-Vendor Network Environment on a Single PC
Developers and testing departments can test management applications by simulating large, complex network environments with SNMP and TL1 devices. Full control over the values returned by the SNMP and TL1 agents and the ability to generate SNMP traps and TL1 autonomous messages on demand, enable thorough testing of applications. This ensures greater product quality.
Efficient Training
Simulations can be used to train network operators, administrators, and technicians. Training groups can create realistic and flexible networking scenarios by setting up user defined Jython script. The IOS Simulator will serve as an effective self-study tool for learning about Cisco device management by interacting with Routers and Switches.
Reduces Product Development Costs
Simulation Toolkit has a positive impact in reducing the cost of developing, testing, and delivering management applications. It reduces the investment in equipment, support infrastructure, and testing. By facilitating easy demonstrations, it reduces the cost of selling and enhances profitability of the business.
Reduces "Time-to-Market"
Management application developers can develop their applications in parallel with agent development through simulation of device prototypes. This enables quick implementation of the management prod-ucts, thus significantly shortening the "time-to-mar-ket" and the associated costs.
Efficient Network Management Staff
Customized simulations can be used to train network operators, administrators, and technicians. Efficient training results in well trained network management staff with better understanding of the network management products and protocols.
Delivers High Quality Management Applications
Simulation of complex network scenarios enables complete testing of network management applications. This enhances product quality and results in a reliable and rugged management applications.
Enables Easy and Successful Demonstrations
Portable device configurations ease the task of setting up customer demos to show the capabilities of the management application. With options to enable different permutations and combinations of network configurations rapidly, the Simulation Toolkit helps in such presales activities at trade shows and customer locations.
Simulation Toolkit Capabilities
Simulating Real Networks
The Network Recorder records real time network devices simultaneously. The recorded network can be replayed instantly in the Network Designer. The recorded configuration can also suitably be modified to create test configuration variations.
The Trap Recorder records SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c traps by listening for traps at the specified port. The output of the trap recorder will give you the traps in the order they were received, with time stamps and the variables included in the trap PDU. The recorded traps can be stored in XML files and replayed in the SNMP agent simulator and network simulator as request-based, threshold-based or time-based traps.
Simulating Dynamic Network Behavior
Simulation Toolkit can simulate addition of new devices (including bulk additions), start and shutdown of devices, change of read-only and read-write variables, generation of traps and autonomous messages, addition and deletion of rows dynamically for provisioning. These simulations can be enabled dynamically without disrupting the simulation process and thus helps to create a real-life scenario with high scalability. The toolkit enables querying of the same simulated device by multiple network management applications.
Dynamic Virtual IP Configuration
Simulation Toolkit provides the facility to dynamically configure IP addresses when starting each agent instance in the network. This facility is supported in Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and Linux / Solaris OS.
Jython Scripting Support
Simulation Toolkit provides an intuitive GUI to model and define inter-relationship among MIB variables, among TL1 commands, and across devices in the network. The toolkit offers powerful built-in SNMP and TL1 script APIs to automate a complete network environment. The intuitive UI and powerful script APIs, combined with the flexible scripting capabilities of Jython, offers a highly versatile environment in simulating advanced network behavior and trap generation. This enables complete control of the virtual network environment.
Automated Network Environment
Simulation Toolkit provides an automated network environment. The Network Simulator's Automation Wizard enables you to configure the actions that needs to be performed on the network devices, from the UI and run the automated network from command line.
Network Topology
Simulation Toolkit supports the topology wizard to visualize interconnections between the devices in the network. You can connect new devices or disconnect existing devices in the topology.
Fault Management Testing Using Trap Stormer
Simulation Toolkit offers the Trap Stormer, an exclusive tool to storm SNMPv1/v2c traps at burst and normal modes. Trap storms can be generated to validate the effective event handling of the manager application.
TFTP, FTP and Telnet Support
Simulation Toolkit supports TFTP client and server protocol and FTP client protocol, to facilitate transfer of files between the client and server using TFTP or FTP. This facility can be used for purposes like statistics collection, software download, upload and download of configuration files etc. You can also create your own SNMP devices with Telnet support and execute telnet commands on the simulated devices.
Cisco IOS Software Simulation
Simulation Toolkit supports Cisco IOS Software Simulation as part of its existing Network Simulation suite. It allows you to simulate Telnet Enabled Cisco routers and Cisco Switches. CLI support is provided to access the Cisco IOS Software
Controlled Environment via RMI
RMI (Remote Method Invocation) is implemented in Simulation Toolkit to control the simulated SNMP and TL1 agent behavior from a remote client program. RMI's unique capabilities to load and execute user-defined tasks at runtime, helps in test case automation of manager applications.
Pack and Play
Any network created in Simulation Toolkit can be packaged and installed in any other system where Simulation Toolkit has been installed. Similarly, new device types configured in the simulator can be packaged and installed in any other system. This is useful to give demonstration of management applications at customer premises or during trade shows without the need for configuring and carrying of devices.
Platform-Independent Network Environment
Simulation Toolkit creates the complete virtual network environment that can run on any industry-standard Intel-based PC or Sun Sparc with a variety of network interfaces. It can even run on the same machine that runs the management application. Large scale enterprise networks can run simultaneously on a single PC.
Scalability
With Simulation Toolkit, the number of agents that can be run simultaneously on a single PC are:
10000 in Windows, 50000+ in Linux, 4096 in Solaris. This enables simulation of large enterprise networks. Simulation Toolkit's extensibility and scalability, provide the opportunity to create network environments that would be impractical to create in a physical lab environment.
Simulation Toolkit Product Suite
The main components which make up the AdventNet Simulation Toolkit and provides a complete simulation environment are:
SNMP Agent Simulator
To simulate an SNMPv1/ v2c/v3 agent (or device) with user configured data or recorded agent values. Supports Jython-based scripting to model agent behavior and express inter-relationship among MIB variables.
TL1 Agent Simulator
To simulate a TL1 network element with user configured data . Supports Jython-based scripting to model agent behavior and express inter-relationships between TCS commands.
Network Simulator
To design and simulate an entire network with SNMP, TL1, TFTP, FTP, Telnet and IOS manageable devices, on one Intel-based PC. Supports Jython-based scripting to model real time network behavior and express inter-relationships among MIB variables and across agents in the network.
SNMP Trap Stormer
To configure and send traps, to test the reliability of your management application for receiving any number of traps at the specified time interval.
Network Recorder
To record real SNMP networks. The recorded network can be instantly replayed in the network simulator.
Trap Recorder
To record real traps. The recorded traps can be replayed in the trap configuration dialog of the SNMP Agent Simulator and Network designer tools.
Manager Tools
SNMP MIB Browser: SNMP Manager application.
TL1 Craft Interface: TL1 Manager application
Editor Tools
SNMPv3Config Tool: SNMP v3 configuration tool to configure v3 users for the SNMP v3 agents.
TL1 Message Builder: TL1 Editor Tool to create and edit TCS files.
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